The cry for freedom in Hong Kong and what it says about America

…Compared to those in the July 1 rally, tonight’s demonstrators seemed to include a higher proportion of students and other young people. But there were also signs that last week’s demonstration may have broadened the range of people willing to attend rallies here. Ho Chin, a 69-year-old retired electrician, said that he had never attended a political demonstration until last week, but came again tonight because, he said, “I want to have a vote.”

Beijing has shown no interest in letting people here play a greater role in choosing their leaders, and top Hong Kong officials have been openly hostile at times. The political leader of this city’s powerful business community declared today that he thought the political system should continue to reserve a large role for business people because democratically elected candidates too often lacked technical expertise in legislative issues affecting companies…

Ho Chin’s statement should be plastered on every billboard in America in the coming election year… “I want to have a vote.” Why is that so many of us do not vote when men and women like Ho Chin would give so much for that right?

I also find the second paragraph of this excerpt brutal in its honesty. Frankly this is where America is quickly going. Maybe the system isn’t engineered as purposely to keep out those who aren’t friendly to corporate interests, but believe me the system is still very controlled, and if more Americans don’t start speaking up and acting on behalf of democracy, the day will come when we’ll be denied our vote to.

Hong Kong (and the rest of the People’s Republic of China) and Singapore are prime examples of how bad things can get… hypercapitalism and political oppression both together. It’s almost like the PROC in particular has chosen to ditch what was good about communism (the socialist ecnomic structure that sought to provide all with the chance of jobs, education, and health care) and instead have the worst of both worlds…. no political freedom plus the horrors of an economic system remincient of Dicken’s England.